Photo from: Google Images
1. You frequently feel stressed, drained, and/or lost- in a relationship, you should feel happy and be uplifted by your partner. Your partner should not be the reason for your unhappiness and they should not have a negative effect on your mental health.
2. You feel lonely within the relationship. Don’t be with someone that makes you feel lonelier than you would if you were single.
3. You feel as if you love them more than they love you. The love you have for each other should be equal.
4. There is a lack of communication. If you can’t communicate effectively with your partner, then there is no room for positive growth.
5. Your partner is not contributing to your growth. If you are not growing mentally then you are wasting your time in a relationship. Your partner should be constantly challenging you mentally and furthering your growth. Your partner should be pushing you to achieve more.
6. Your partner is controlling. If your partner controls your actions and is easily angered when your actions are not pleasing to them, you need to get out of the relationship.
7. You constantly fight- It is not uncommon to fight in a relationship, however if you fight frequently and seldom reach a resolution then you are perpetuating a toxic relationship.
8. You depend upon them emotionally. It is toxic if the emotions of your partner determine yours. If they aren’t happy, you aren’t either. If their negative feelings and emotions affect you, that is detrimental to your health.
9. When you’re giving more than you are receiving in the relationship. Don’t give your all to someone that’s only giving you half.
10. Your partner is mentally and/or physically abusive.The most apparent sign that you’re in a toxic relationship is if your being physically abused. If that is the case, it is imperative that you seek help and separate yourself from the person that is inflicting harm. A form of abuse that often goes unnoticed however, is emotional abuse. If your partner is constantly putting you down as to make you insecure, that constitutes as emotional abuse. Also, if your partner constantly manipulates you and turns the blame on you in order to appear superior.
Relationships are great… Until they’re not. You should be wary of unhealthy relationships and be able to recognize the signs of one. Staying in a toxic relationship can be damaging to your physical and emotional health and well-being. If a lot of these signs relate to your relationship, seriously consider getting out of the relationship and/or getting counseling. If you’re a student, SFA offers free counseling services which include relationship advice. Call (936)-468-2401 or visit http://www.sfasu.edu/counselingservices/104.aspto make an appointment if needed. Take advantage of the resources provided to you and also lean on your close friends and family for support. If you are currently in a toxic relationship of going through to process of removing yourself from one, know that you are not alone, and you will be happier out of it. Being single and possibly starting over with someone new in the future is healthier than staying in a relationship that is damaging to your health. Don’t hold on to the years of bad history you may have with someone when you can form new memories in healthy relationship. You deserve to be happy, even if being happy means being alone or being with someone else.